Life Changer
by Sophie The Shipper
Summary: When things change will life change to or will it stay the same? Read to find out. WARNING: Character death! [Hiatus]
1. Beginning

**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or any of the characters!**

* * *

Penny wakes up at 5 am feeling like something was wrong. The other side of the bed was cold and it looked like it was barely used. She started to be worried. She remembered asking when he was going to work earlier because of his experiments. He said it wasn't any time soon. So where was he?

Penny got up and went looking in the apartment hoping to find him in the living room working or watching a movie, with the excuse that he couldn't sleep. She was ready to tell him that she had already tell him to wake her up and they would talk until he could finally sleep. Unfortunately he was nowhere to be found. She thought of calling someone but it was, by that time, 5.30. She wasn't waking anyone up. They were probably sleeping and she would either wake them up or not get answered. She considered going out and trying to find him but it was raining too much outside. She put her hand in her pocket and found her phone.

'Of course!' she thought 'I could call and ask where he is'

* * *

Leonard has been sitting in that cold floor for over 5 hours. He had been in bed for less than 1 hour when he got a call from his brother Michael. Since he was born he had seen his brother crying once and that was only when he took a B+ and had to tell that grade to Beverly and Alfred. So when he got a call little before midnight he answered and left his room to make sure he wouldn't wake up his sleeping wife.

The phone call started with his brother telling him he had something to say. His voice was one of someone who had been crying. It was low and broken like it was the end of the world.

'Mother has died Leonard.'

Leonard didn't know what to say. 'My mother is dead. I won't talk to her again. I will never see her again.'

Even after everything that Beverly did she was still Leonard's mother. He was sad. He was only on the phone with his brother for a couple more minutes. Leonard said he would go to New Jersey as soon as he could. His brother said he had time. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with her and why she died so she was going to be autopsied. That's when he went to the roof and sat there.

After approximately 1 hour it started to rain. Leonard didn't move a muscle. He just allowed the rain to run through his skin. Ever since he was a kid that the rain, just the sound of it, made him feel alive and that everything was going to be alright.

In that moment he needed to feel like everything was okay. He needed to feel alive.

That was when Penny called him. His phone was on his pocket and he heard it ringing to the sound of "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You" from NSYNC, Penny's favorite song. He kept it ringing for a while thinking that she would just go back to sleep.

* * *

'Damn it! He's not answering… I'll just call again.' Penny thought

* * *

'Second time calling. Must be important. Maybe she's calling me to tell me about my mom. I'll just text her saying I'm fine. That way she might go to bed and sleep.'

Leonard texted her saying that he was fine and was at work. A little lie to a person he hated to lie. But it had to be done because he wasn't ready to face the truth.

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End of Chapter 1

 **Read &Review**

 **I had this idea and I needed to write it and post it before I forgot I had it. The other two stories (one being "Not again" and the other about Leonard's family are going to be posted once this one is over. I don't have new ideas for any of them. The one about his family has 4 chapters already written but I'm not happy with them. At least not enough to post them.**

 **Also, I didn't expect to study during the school break but I need to so my idea of writing stories and post them is not happening. Sorry but school is my number 1 priority. They'll be posted when I get time to review them and post them the way I want. Without rushing anything. Grades weren't the ones I expected so I need to study even more. Making my small time to write even smaller.**

 **I'm sorry for those who want to read my stories for this.**

14-12-2017


	2. What's happening?

**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or their characters.**

* * *

Penny went to sleep after getting Leonard's text message. She woke up in the morning and went to work expecting Leonard to call her during the day. But no calls were made. She got home expecting him to be there. But he wasn't there. That's when she got a call. She answered it

'Where are you Leonard?" Penny asked

"This is Sheldon"

"Sheldon? Why are you calling me?"

"Leonard didn't come to work. He was supposed to drive me since Amy is working until late. Can you come and pick me up?"

Penny could hear the rain through the phone. Sheldon hated the rain. Especially when he was outside.

"Sure, sweetie. I can go and pick you up"

'If Leonard wasn't at work where was he all day long?' Penny thought 'Hopefully Sheldon knows something'

* * *

Penny finally spots Sheldon and lets him in the car. They drive for a while and when Penny was about to start speaking Sheldon asks

"So… where's Leonard?"

'That's it. He doesn't know where Leonard is and I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was fine. Where is he then?'

"I don't know Sheldon. I haven't seen him for a while." Penny answered. She didn't want to tell Sheldon that she hasn't seen his best friend for almost a day. She didn't want to make him be as worried as she was.

"Have texted him? Have you asked where he was?"

"Yes Sheldon. He texted saying he was fine. Can we just drop the subject?"

"Yes. We can."

"Good. Thank you!" It wasn't like she was mad at Sheldon. But as Sheldon talked her concern for Leonard's whereabouts were growing bigger and bigger. She decided to talk to Sheldon about his work, even though she wouldn't understand a thing. She was just trying to take her mind of the situation.

* * *

They both finally arrived home a little late than they were supposed to. Penny looked around the apartment looking for Leonard only to realize he wasn't there. Since everyone was there, even Amy that was supposed to be at work but left earlier, she asked them if they knew where Leonard was. No one knew. They ate and made small talk but Penny wasn't participating in that. She kept being worried about Leonard. That's when 'You Have a Friend in Me' starts playing. Unconsciously smiled. I wasn't Leonard's favorite song but it was her wedding vows and she loved it. It was then she remembered. 'Leonard's calling me!'

She answered the phone all she heard was raining and then he hung up. She only had time to say 'Yes? Where are you?'

That made her even more concerned. But not more than a minute later someone opened the door. It was Leonard clearly drunk and disoriented, like he had no idea where he was, what day it was or what was happening. But when he looked at Penny, that's when she realized is red face and noticed he had been crying. That wasn't rain. All of his clothes were soaked and his hair was wet. But his eyes. They looked like he wasn't alive.

"Leonard? Sweetie? What's wrong?" Penny asked, getting up to see him closely, scared he was just going to open the door and run.

"My mom. She's dead." Leonard said.

The way he said those words, it sounded like they were said by a five year old. Penny didn't know the right words to say so she hugged. She didn't care about his clothes or his hair. She hugged him, stroking his hair with one hand, the other in his back rubbing small circles.

Everyone else was shocked but they knew better. They knew Leonard was shocked and they shouldn't ask anything until he was better. They all looked at Sheldon to make sure he wouldn't say something he shouldn't. That's when they saw he wasn't in 'his spot' anymore.

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End of Chapter 2

 **Read &Review!**

 **Ok that's it! Another chapter was written. I like writing this story because it's the one I have more ideas on what to write next. I like to incorporate things we know about the characters in my writing. That's why I used 'You have a Friend in me' and 'God Must Have spent a Little More Time on You' has ringtones since its Penny and Leonard's favorite song or wedding vows. They have sweet stories with this songs and that's what I like to do. Use little things on my stories.**

I don't own any of the songs though. But I like both of them!

Hope you all like my stories!

04-01-2018


	3. Hugs me not

**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or their characters.**

* * *

The hug lasted longer than everyone thought it would. Penny was trying not to cry but tears came anyway. She wasn't sure she was crying because Leonard had just lost his mom and his sadness made her sad or if it was due to the fact that she and Beverly started to get closer in the past year. She realized that she was hugging him for too long when her clothes started to be humid and he started to shake. It seemed like he was using the hug to stay warm and since she was getting colder there was no use for him to still be a part of the hug.

They stopped hugging and no one knew exactly how to act or where to look. They didn't know if they were supposed to say Sheldon wasn't there either.

"How did you found out about it?" Penny asked with tears in her eyes. She tried to say the words correctly and without choking because of the crying.

"My brother called" Leonard answered, without any emotion. It seemed like he wasn't there. Since Beverly died it seemed like a piece of Leonard had died.

"And… where have you been?" Penny was proud on the way she was hiding her emotions and not messing with the words.

"I prefer not to answer that." He says. He looks around the room. Everyone looked at him like he wasn't human because he wasn't crying or showing any emotion. He was trying to hide it because he didn't know how to feel anymore. His mom was dead but they weren't very close and he didn't know how everyone would feel if he showed up crying. That's why he stayed in the roof for so long. He was trying to stop the crying but every time he felt like the tears were stopping they came back.

It took him a while but he finally realized Sheldon wasn't there.

"Where's Sheldon?"

"He left. He took the news pretty hard" Amy says. They all looked expectantly to Leonard. They all knew Leonard was jealous of the relationship Sheldon had with Beverly so they were waiting for a big fight. But they still said he was probably in his old room because they didn't know how to take Sheldon out of the room. Maybe Leonard would come up with something.

* * *

Leonard was taking his time to get to Sheldon's old room. He didn't know what to say. Sheldon was like a brother to him, and he had already told him that on Sheldon's birthday party and he knew that, to Sheldon, it almost felt like he was losing his mother. Leonard had no idea of what was going to happen once he opened that door so when he finally got there he just knocked on the door and hoped for the best.

"Sheldon, can I come in?"

Sheldon didn't answer. He just went to the door and opened it.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to see how you're doing. Are you okay?"

"No. I'm not." It took Sheldon a while to answer that question. Even though Beverly wasn't Sheldon's mom he still cared for her and thought the world of her. And now he would never be able to tell her that. But there was still one Hofstadter that he knew and cared for. Sheldon just hugged Leonard and thanked him for everything he did for him. And then he said the words that still surprised Amy.

"I love you, Leonard. I want you to know that."

Leonard was still in shock with the news he got from his brother Michael. But when his brother Sheldon said those words he was speechless. He knew it took a lot for him to tell him that.

"I love you to, buddy." Leonard smiled for the first time since that awful night.

Maybe things weren't going to be that bad. Or were they?

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End of Chapter 3

 **Read &Review**

I thought of make Amy talk to Sheldon instead of Leonard but I needed them to talk. You all thought Penny would take care of Leoanrd and Amy take care of Sheldon? If you did you're wrong. Sorry! As always don't know when I'm posting more chapters of this and the rest of my stories.

Also, sorry for the short chapters. I make no promises of the next one being longer.

The name of this chapter is a 'tribute' to Crossing Jordan, one of my favorite TV shows. There's an episode called 'Loves me not' and I thought 'Hugs me not seems like a great name for this chapter' It helps the fact that I absolutely _**LOVE**_ that episode.

07-01-2018


	4. I'm there for you Forever

**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or their characters.**

* * *

The next few days after the whole gang found out about Beverly's death were difficult. They were barely together, at least all at the same time. Leonard hid himself in his room, only seen outside of it when he went to the bathroom or to eat. Sheldon went back to his old room and worked from there. After all, he only needed a white board to work. Penny tried to help them both, but after a while she just didn't know what to do. Amy was trying to do her best to keep Sheldon's mind off the subject, but he did that by himself – he started to work more and more. So Amy's job now was trying to take his mind off work. And since the only person that knew how to do it was Leonard neither girl knew what to do.

Bernadette and Howard stopped by from time to time with Halley, thinking that she would sheer them up. However, that didn't work.

Raj and Stuart would go to apartment 4A and bring gossip and comic books, respectively. But that didn't matter to Leonard or Sheldon.

On the 5 day of all this, Michael Hofstadter calls his brother. Leonard quickly runs to Sheldon's room and knocks on the door – but with their special knock so Sheldon knew it was him – and tells him what his brother told him. Both go to the living room where the whole gang is at forming a plan to get them out of the rooms.

Raj is the first to see them. He looks at them, not knowing how to respond. Seeing Raj looking into the bathroom like that they all raise their heads and see what Raj was seeing.

Sheldon had changed clothes, but clearly hadn't taken a shower, while Leonard was still in the same clothes he was the day he had come back to the apartment. And the shower he had taken was probably the last one he took.

Leonard is the first to speak.

"Michael just called." Since he hadn't spoken in a few days, his voice was a little hoarse. He clears his throat and restarts. "Michael called and told me that the funeral is tomorrow. They already know why she died." They all look at him to go on. "She… she had cancer. Apparently she had breast cancer but it had spread to other organs. He said that the doctors told him she had Stage III Cancer." He took a deep breath and went on. "I'm going to get myself a plane ticket. Excuse me"

He goes back to his room to get his computer, and Penny follows him.

"Leonard? Sweetie? How are you holding up?" Penny asks, trying not to say the wrong thing

Leonard was going to answer, but before he did it, he looked at her. He eyes only told him that she was being nice and scared. Scared of what was going on. Scared of not knowing what to say to make everything better. Scared that she couldn't just make everything okay for him. So, instead of making some stupid comment and being mean to Penny, he hugged her. He wasn't thinking of doing it so that she could support him. He knew this was also being hard on her and he wasn't there for her. That hug wasn't going to fix everything, but it was a start.

He took his arms from around her and put his hands or her face, making her look at him.

"Thank you." He simply says

"For what?"

"Everything." He says. He then kisses her forehead, looks at her again and hugs her.

Penny starts to cry, something she was trying not to do, at least in front of Leonard. Beverly was his mother, not hers. She felt like she couldn't feel sad about Beverly's death that she was only supposed to be there for Leonard.

Leonard, however, felt like he wasn't the only one that should be mourning her. Beverly was known by all of the gang, and, even though they didn't like her as much as they liked the rest of the parents, she was still known by them. Penny and Beverly had a relationship together. One Leonard was a little bit jealous of. So when Penny started to cry on his chest, he tried to be there for her, like she tried to be for him all week. The difference being that Leonard ignored Penny all week, while now none of them was ignoring the other. Being separated didn't help them. But together, they were going to be fine. They always were.

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 **Read &Review**

Going to try to update this weekend. I'm trying to update all my stories this week, since I have an English test and this helps me study for it. So this chapter is small, and the next may be bigger **(CLEARLY NOT A PROMISE)!**

The next chapter will probably be in New Jersey. With the beginning probably still in Pasadena. Thinking about it… I haven't wrote what happened while Leonard and Penny were in the room. Don't worry. I didn't forget about it!


	5. Realizations

**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or their characters.**

* * *

Leonard had bought tickets for him and for Penny. Sheldon was going to buy a ticket only for him but Amy said she was going to, so Sheldon bought two. Raj, Howard and Bernadette thought they should go to support their second family. So they bought a ticket too and left Halley with Bernadette's parents.

The thing was that there were three groups of people going to New Jersey. But no group knew about the other. They thought only Leonard was going. So when everyone got to New Jersey, and saw each other, everyone was confused. But they said nothing and entered a taxi: Howard, Bernadette and Raj in one and Leonard, Penny, Sheldon and Amy in another. Both taxis were silent, on the way to Leonard's old house.

The gang got out of the taxi and waited for Leonard to lead the way. Before he knocks on the door he looks at his friends and takes a deep breath. He then knocks on the door. Alfred is the one who opens the door. He looks at them all and lets them in.

"I thought you were coming alone" Alfred says, when everyone was already seated on the couch.

"I was... It's actually a very long story." Leonard answered, looking around at everyone. They all nodded in agreement knowing that Leonard didn't exactly knew what happened.

When they all stopped talking, Alfred's phone started ringing. Alfred excused himself and left. They all started to look around the house, noticing that there weren't many photos, only prizes that Beverly had won over the years. Bernadette finally spotted a family photo. They were all in black clothes, and their faces looked sad. She looked at Leonard in the picture. He couldn't be older than seven. He was in the middle of the picture. Alfred and his brother, Michael in one side and Beverly and his sister, Samantha in the other.

Bernadette pointed to the picture.

"When was it taken?"

"My grandfather's funeral." Leonard looked to the ground, hoping Bernadette would take the hint and stop talking about it. But she didn't

"When was-"Bernadette was going to ask, but Leonard interrupted her

"You want to know everything don't you?" Bernadette nodded. "If I tell you, will you stop asking questions about this subject?"

"I will." Bernadette noticed how much this subject bothered Leonard but she needed to know.

"Fine. My grandfather died when I was six. However, "Leonard stopped talking and took a breath. He hadn't been talking for a lot of time, but for some reason it was still hard for him to talk about it. "He had been sick since I was four. Don't know of what, I was young. But I do know this. Beverly was really close to him, and when he got sick she started to get weird. Like, she used to be really nice. Great mom. I remember a time that she used to tuck me in and all. But when he got sick, not for the first months but when he got into a bed and wouldn't leave it, that's when she changed. He was very important to her." Leonard than looks at Alfred that had an unfriendly face.

"What's wrong?" Leonard asked.

"We need to talk. Get in the car." Alfred said, opening the door.

"We can talk right here."

"No. I need to show you someone. That person needs to see you. Please, Leonard. Get in the car. I need to explain some things to you. Things I hope you understand."

"Who are we seeing?"

"Not we. You."

"Fine. Who am I seeing?"

"Your mother"

"What are you talking about? Really, dad? Not a good time to say things like that! Mother is dead!"

"Michael and Samantha's mom is dead. Yours isn't"

"What are you talking about?" Leonard asked. No one was really knowing what was happening there. They were looking at Alfred waiting for an answer.

"You're going to meet your _biological_ mother." Alfred answered

* * *

The trip was quiet. Leonard didn't speak one word. Whenever Alfred tried to talk, Leonard looked to the window. Alfred explained everything while Leonard looked out of the window, pretending not to hear a word but he was actually listening to him trying to understand everything. Sadly, Alfred stopped talking when they got to their destination.

"We're here." Alfred says. He leaves the car. Leonard, however, stays in the car thinking of what he was going to do and say. He then looks at Alfred who is already looking at his son. Looking at Alfred, he sees this isn't being easy for him either. So, he leaves the car and walks behind Alfred until they reach the door. Alfred knocks and looks at Leonard

"I'll leave the two of you alone."

"Please, don't!" Leonard begs. "Stay. Please."

"Are you sure?" Leonard nods. "Okay then. I'll stay."

"Thank you."

A woman opens the door and lets them in. When they look around the house, they see various pictures and Leonard looks at them like he's trying to find his mother. 'Biological mother' Leonard thinks 'My mother is dead, I'm here because of that'

A woman in her 60's enters the room. She looks at Leonard and her hand immediately covers her mouth. Leonard looks at Alfred in confusion. He looks back at her, and sees she's trying to reach him. He backs out and she realizes she shouldn't do that to someone that didn't know that she exist before that day.

"Hi. I'm… It's so nice to finally meet you, William"

"William? Sorry, my name isn't William." Leonard says. Alfred looks to the ground and the woman looks at Alfred.

"What does the boy mean? You didn't name him William?!"

"Sorry" Leonard says, trying to get the woman's attention "My name is Leonard Hofstadter. I mean, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. What's yours?"

"You're a doctor?"

"I have a PhD. I'm an experimental physicist."

"Interesting." She says. She serves herself some tea that is at the table and takes a sip of it. She then looks at Leonard and remembers "Want some?"

"No, thanks. Like I was asking. What's your name?"

"You don't know my name, dear?"

"No, ma'am." Leonard answers, politely

"How could you?!" She angrily asks Alfred. "Why haven't you told _my son_ my own name?!"

"You're his biological mother. He found out about you less than an hour ago. Why would I tell him your name?"

She looks at Leonard and puts down her tea.

"Sorry, sweetie. My name is Jacqueline."

"Can you please not call me 'sweetie'? I would appreciate it."

"Why?"

"I's just that my wife calls me sweetie and it's just weird for me to hear someone else saying it." Leonard lied. Truth was he didn't want her to call him any name other than his own. "Just call me Leonard"

"Okay." After a short break for Jacqueline to take a sip of her tea. "What has your father told you about me?"

"If you don't mind I prefer you tell me. I rather have two versions of what happened."

"Sure. Uh… Basically your father had an affair with me and I got pregnant. At the time I didn't want to be a mother so I told your father I was going to give you for adoption. He said he would take care of you. He didn't want you to go for adoption. So when you were born, Alfred took you and I went on with my life"

"Do you have other kids?"

"Yeah. I have three beautiful kids. Two girls, twins named Amanda and Jennifer and a boy named Ryan. Why do you ask?"

"Why did you have them?"

"I don't understand."

"You said you didn't want to be a mother but you still had three other children. Why?"

"I wasn't ready to be a mother when you were born, Wil-Leonard."

"I can't. I can't stay here. I need to go. Let's go, Alfred."

"Can we keep in touch?" His biological mother asks hoping for a 'yes'

"I don't know. Depends on a lot of things."

Alfred gets up and was going to follow his son when Jacqueline stopped him

"When he's ready, give him this. Please" She says, handing him an envelope that Alfred puts in his pocket. He then follows his son.

When he gets outside he finds his son kicking and punching a tree.

"It's not the tree's fault."

"I know. It's yours. My mother is dead, and then you show me this woman who starts talking to me like we always knew each other. Someone that didn't want to be a mother and has three kids!"

"She wasn't ready for you. She was married to the guy she had the three kids with." Alfred pushes Leonard away from the tree and near himself. "Look, I know that you're thinking that what she did was wrong. And that Beverly and I weren't good parents. But we loved you. And I know that if Beverly was here, she wouldn't say anything to you other than 'You're lucky I allowed Alfred to take you in' but I know she loved you. And she was so proud of you. It's my fault that she became the woman she did. I keep thinking that if we didn't get divorce she wouldn't have died. I would've known about the cancer. She could be alive. That's all I think about."

"It's not your fault, dad" Leonard said in the verge of tears.

Both father and son hugged each other, both tired of holding back the tears.

* * *

The funeral day arrived. Everyone was on the cemetery, wearing black clothes and hearing the priest. Even though Beverly didn't believe in God, her dad did and she wanted to be next to him. So, her last wish was done.

Alfred and Leonard were in front of each other, divided by Beverly's casket. They look at each other, thinking of the day before, of what it meant. Penny was holding her husband's hand and was trying to hold back the tears. Leonard looked at her and thought of how he was going to tell her that Beverly wasn't her real mother in law. Or his real mother. But at the end of the service, when the casket was put on the ground, Leonard realized that, even though Beverly wasn't his biological mother, she was still his mom. And nothing was going to change that.

* * *

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It seemed bigger while I was writing. Sorry! But it's still bigger than the one before. As always, not sure when I'll update again.


	6. Back Home

**Word Count** : _1297  
_ **Disclaimer** : _I don't own The Big Bang Theory or the characters._

* * *

He didn't know what to say.

He was mad at everyone, his dad, Beverly and his new mom. Even if Beverly took him in, she had treated him badly over the course of his life. He didn't feel okay staying in New Jersey anymore, so as soon as the funeral was over, he flew home in the next available flight.

He didn't have a family. He was only half-brother to Michael and Samantha. Beverly would never talk to him again. His dad wanted him to talk to Jackeline, his biological mother. Leonard didn't.

He wanted to know more about what really happened, other than knowing that he was a possible cause to his parents' divorce. They seemed truly happy in the other pictures, and even after Leonard was there they were okay. There was a clear change in their relationship, clearly discovering that your husband cheated on you and had a child with another woman, didn't do really good for the relationship. Plus, the trust and respect for your partner disappeared.

But after Beverly's father died, they were only together because of their kids. Maybe the old man sad something to them? Leonard didn't know. What he did know was that he felt like an outsider on that family his entire life, and now he knew why. Did Michael and Samantha know about it? Questions that seemed to always be unanswered lingered in the air.

He now knew why his dad was always staying longer in other countries when he went to do some research. Technically, he didn't know. He had a small idea as to why. It was either to get away from Beverly and all his mistakes – one being Leonard himself – or to cheat on his adoptive mother once more. Leonard wondered if he had been the only one to be a bastard of the Hofstadter clan. Maybe he had more half-brothers somewhere else, in other countries his dad was at during his childhood.

He wasn't aware of whether he wanted to know or not. What would that do? It probably wouldn't make him feel better, would ruin even more whatever relationship his dad and he still had and would only make him pissed at everyone.

Leonard still didn't know what to do.

He had been lying in his bed since they arrived. That was six hours ago. Penny had slept on the plane so she went grocery shopping with Amy once they landed. Sheldon went to bed. Leonard did the same. But the only thing he actually achieved in the last six hours was staring at ceiling thinking of what to do.

Was he meant to do the same thing he had done for the last few years of his life?

Maybe he should just take a bath and see that after. He got up from his bed, and opened the door, immediately covering his eyes due to the bright light coming from it. The room he had just left was in complete darkness, so the living room light made his eyes hurt. But he just didn't care.

He took a bath, enjoying the scalding water passing his back, falling to his legs. He stood like that for a lot of time, enjoying the burning feeling it caused in his skin. When he left, his skin was red, hot. He looked to the foggy mirror, and passed his hand on it, watching the drops of cool water dripping from the mirror, feeling the cold water on his once burning skin.

When he looked himself in the mirror, he didn't recognize himself. It wasn't only because of the red skin, or the beard.

He didn't know who he was. What else was a lie? Was his marriage a lie?

He glared to himself, looking in the mirror.

 _Penny loves you. Nothing will ever change that. She promised._

He couldn't believe he actually just questioned his wife's love for him. Sure she said no to most of his proposals, but she accepted him back after his kiss with Mandy. She was his wife and she loved him. She was there for him and nothing was going to change.

He felt a cold hand on his back. Well, any hand would be cold against his scalding skin.

He turned to the person. It was Sheldon. How he touched Leonard's bare skin wasn't the question Leonard wanted to ask.

Sheldon had red-rimmed eyes and was sniffling. His first thought was to run since Sheldon becomes unbearable when he's sick. But he wasn't sick. Only mourning.

"It's okay, buddy." Leonard tried and hugged him. Sheldon pushed him.

"Can... can you put a shirt on?" Sheldon requested. Leonard smiled and agreed.

They hugged then, and Leonard could feel his best friend's tears drenching his shirt, but he didn't care. He felt his own tears joining his sweat since it was still foggy from his hot bath.

But neither cared. They were both grieving.

* * *

The first dinner back home was weird for everyone. They all felt the need to talk about the elephant in the room, but at the same time, they felt like they shouldn't. The first few moments were spent distributing the food by everyone, but as everyone ate, the room fell silent.

Sometimes a few would open their mouth, but would immediately close it. Leonard tried to make it stop.

"Okay, can we just stop acting like this. Please?"

They all stared at him. Bernadette asked him. "Are you okay with everything that happened?"

"Of course I'm not okay with it. But would _you_ be?" He looked fixated on her, waiting for her answer.

"I don't think so." She answered, soberly and bowed her head., pretending to keep eating.

"Look," Leonard put his food on the coffee table and sat back in his chair. "it's complicated to find out your mother isn't your biological one. It's extremely complicated to then find out that your real mom gave you up and had other kids. The worst part is the fact that my dad never said anything about it. I mean, Beverly, I get it, you know? I'm not her son, so it's normal that she didn't exactly like me and spoke about it. But my dad never said anything." Leonard sighed. "Well, he wasn't exactly around to say it." He whispered.

"Maybe he was trying to protect you." Amy offered.

"Protect me from what?" Leonard questioned. "From a woman with kids and was married and seemed a really nice person and mother. Those kids were lucky to have her."

"You were lucky that Beverly wanted you. She didn't send you to an orphanage or something." Raj mentioned and took a sip of his drink.

"You got a point there," Leonard confessed. He threw his head back. "What am I supposed to do now?" He asked, just like a small defenseless child.

They all looked to each other. Penny clears her throat and Leonard looks at her.

"Talk to your mom." She said. Leonard looked back to the ceiling as if ignoring her. "Or to your dad. Or your brother and sisters. You know, from your biological mom."

Leonard sighed. "Why would I do that?" He wondered out loud.

"Try to understand their side," Penny said, thinking about else to say. "Uh... see what kind of person your mom really is, how your brother and sisters grew up like. Your dad can make you feel slightly better. Maybe." She shrugs her shoulders, not knowing what else to say, looking at her bestie for support.

But Leonard raised his head from the couch and looked at his wife.

"You're right! I'm going to do that!" Leonard said, jumping from his spot and running to the door while grabbing his phone. "Don't wait up!" He screamed, before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 6**

I once again want to thank **WarriorCreed** for the ideas. I'll join a few of them! Anyway, I'll try to update more regularly over the course of the next week, but don't promise anything. Don't make promises I can't keep!

Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think about it!


	7. New Family

**Word Count** : _620_  
 **Disclaimer** : _I don't own The Big Bang Theory or the characters._

* * *

Leonard jumped on the first plane he could find. He was eager to talk to his new family and was also terrified. As the plane took off, those worries grew, no matter how much he read or tried to sleep. His mind wouldn't shut off, wouldn't let him sleep. Those feelings of uncertainty lingered in the air until he knocked on the door. He was ready.

His mother opened the door. She looked at him surprised, furrowed her brow and allowed him in. The house was the same way it had been the last time he was there. Photos, the couch, everything. Except for the people in the living room, who he suspected to be his new family.

"They're here to celebrate my birthday." She explained. He nodded.

They all greeted him, and a little girl, probably not more than five years old comes to him.

"Are you my new uncle?" She asks, in a sweet voice. He looks at her surprised and looks at his mother.

"I told them the truth. They all understood." She says, and Leonard nods, once again.

He kneels next to her. "It appears so." The girl giggles. Leonard grins.

A man, presumably the little girls' dad, gets up. "Emily, go play outside." The little girl leaves, still giggling. They all watch her go.

"Look," the same man goes. "I just don't want you to be with my daughter without actually knowing you." Leonard nods, understanding. "So, my mom says you're Leonard. I'm Ryan." He shakes his hand. "This is my sister Jenny and Maura."

Leonard looked confused. "Sorry, your mom... well _our_ mom said she had two daughters, a Jennifer and an _Amanda_."

"When I was a baby I couldn't say my name. I always said, Maura. So everyone started to call me Maura. I like it." Maura said. Leonard smiled at the story.

"Well, I wasn't introduced. I'm Arthur." His step-dad said, and Leonard shook his hand.

Another woman comes from the door Emily left from. "It's raining outside, so Emmy is back inside." She sees Leonard. "Oh!, I'm sorry. I'm Caroline. Call me Carol. I'm guessing you're Leonard."

Leonard nodded as his mom pushes a chair and he sits there, Emmy immediately sitting on his lap after his dad nodded as if saying it was okay. Leonard smiled and pushed her to make him more comfortable. The girl sure was comfortable.

"So Leonard, you're married, huh?" Carol asked.

"Yes." He answered, showing his ring. "Two years now, actually." He says, proudly.

Everyone asked more things, and so did he. Eventually, the conversation got to his job.

"You're an experimental physicist!?" Jenny asked, perking up.

"I am. Interested in that?"

"Yes. Well, I also have a P.h.D. Well, I'm working on it. I _will_ have one. In theoretical physics. Know any?"

"Actually my old roommate is one. If you ever need any help with it I can make him help you."

"I think you helped enough," Ryan said, sounding a little too harsh. Everyone stared at him. He blushed. "Sorry, came out a little too hard. It's just Emmy is sleeping. She only falls asleep on people she's comfortable with. And it takes a long time for that to happen. Do you have any kids?"

"No. But two friends of mine have a little girl and I sometimes take care of her. We all try to help them with babysitting and..." His phone starts buzzing. "Yeah?" He answers. "Sheldon, I've told you. New Jersey." He stays quiet, just listening. "Don't worry, I'll be back. Goodbye." He hangs up as the doorbell rings. His mom answers it.

"Hey! We're Leonard's friends!" Bernadette's voice is heard. Leonard's head falls. Emmy keeps sleeping on his lap.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 7**

Since I'm trying to update more, the chapters can be smaller. Good news is, there's going to be a chapter posted tomorrow or sooner. So, it won't be as bad. :)


	8. Friends and Family

**Word Count** : _600  
_ **Disclaimer** : _I don't own The Big Bang Theory or the characters._

* * *

Ryan realized Leonard would need to get up, so he took Emmy from his lap, allowing him to walk up to his friends.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to support you!" Raj announced, looking at everyone around the room.

"Support me?" Leonard said in the form of a question and really slowly. He ended up with a nod, a very long nod as if trying to understand. He took a deep breath. "Okay! So, here's my mom, Ryan, his wife Carol and daughter, Arthur, Jenny, and Maura." He introduced, pointing at everyone that just smiled when their name was heard. "Guys, this is Raj, Bernadette, Howard, Sheldon, Amy and my wife Penny."

"Wait?! _Dr. Sheldon Cooper_ is your old roommate?! Is a legend are you kidding me?" Jenny said, like a child on a Christmas. Well, a kid from a family different from Leonard's.

"I am not kidding." Leonard grinned. _This family is nuts. I love it!_

Jenny opened her mouth and Maura just closed it shut, laughing at her sister that was totally fangirling. To make matters worse Leonard spoke.

"You know he's married right?" He instantly felt comfortable enough around those people, which was weird. It took him forever to be completely comfortable with Howard, Raj, and Sheldon and they were just like him.

"I do! I know. His work is amazing. Such an inspiration."

Ryan puts his hand on his forehead, not believing his sister even though he grew up with her and knew how fascinated she was with everything she enjoyed. Her newest thing was physics. Actually, it wasn't new, she had that thing for physics for years already.

Sheldon – and everyone really – looks at Leonard that is in the middle just grinning. His mom decided to break a little tension.

"Is anyone interested in dinner?"

Everyone agreed to it and sat down on a gigantic table. It was full of food brought by the maids, that seemed nice. His family was also sweet to them, which was unusual for people with maids, and even helped bring things to the table.

They all ate in silence, sometimes asking things to each other to get to know them and sometimes Jenny would ask her new brother and Sheldon some physics questions, even be surprised to know that most of them had a Ph.D. She made them promise they would discuss it later, after dinner.

And that was exactly what they did. Sitting in the living room, everyone spoke about their respective work, and helped Jenny with her Ph.D., giving her tips and even helping her with the material. Once she was done she was going to send her work to Sheldon that would revise it.

As they all spoke, Ryan and Carol spoke with Penny. Young Emily was playing with her doll and Penny.

"Ever thought of having kids?" Carol asked, discreetly.

"Yeah. Leonard and I talked about it."

"Do you want to?" Ryan asked. Penny nodded, smiling while imagining a child running around the house with big brown eyes and curly dark hair just like his daddy. "Well, Leonard is really good with kids. I've seen him take care of her." Pointed at his daughter. "No one can get her to fall asleep as fast as he did."

They stopped talking then, comfortably playing with Emmy.

Jacqueline comes into the room with her husband and Alfred.

"Leonard?" Jacqueline says, to make him look up.

"We need to talk," Alfred says.

"Last time you said that I got a new family. What is it?" He asked, amused and worried at the same time.

"Well..."

* * *

 **End of Chapter 8**


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